Saturday, November 21, 2009

The Senate is set to vote Saturday night, right before the holiday, on a motion to proceed on its latest health care government take-over bill. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid is pushing for yet another weekend vote (commonplace now for the party of “transparency”) because he knows that the American people will be none too happy about the Democrats’ proposal the longer they have to look it over.

A vote against the Democrats’ motion will help stop Obamacare before it gets any closer to becoming a reality. While this Saturday night vote might seem like a procedural matter, at the end of the day a vote against Senator Reid’s motion is a vote against massive new government spending and a take-over of 1/6th of the U.S. economy; it’s a vote against billions in tax increases and penalties; it’s a vote against federal funding of abortion; and it’s a vote against ignoring responsible tort reform.

And in case you hadn’t heard – just a reminder that you’ll start paying higher taxes to fund this scheme in 2010 even though it doesn’t start up until 2014. Only in Washington does that make any sense. Among the provisions in this bill will be a $2500 cap on Flexible Spending Accounts (FSAs). The IRS allows families with special needs children to use FSAs to cover educational expenses. This new $2500 cap will hit these families especially hard and cost them hundreds of dollars in new taxes every year.

Contact your senators and tell them to vote against the motion to proceed tomorrow night. The American people don’t support this – we support the commonsense solutions that have been proposed, but totally ignored by (at this point) some out-of-control Washington politicians. Let’s put a stop to Obamacare before it goes any further.

The response on this book tour has been overwhelming. We are truly humbled, and I thank you.

I've been told that yesterday there were supporters in Noblesville who stood in long lines for hours in the cold and rain, and the book signing event ended without a chance to say hello to everyone who showed up. I am so sorry. We are working on a solution for those who were left behind.

Friday, November 20, 2009

It was a breath of fresh air to finally hear the Democrats admit to their health care bill as “a lot of show and tell and razzmatazz,” (see Democrat talking points, in reference to my book). At least now we’re all on the same page when discussing the problems with their monstrous government health care “reform” plan.

Now, tonight, more disconcerting news – the New York Times reports of new guidelines to scale back cervical cancer screenings. The recommendation from the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists comes on the heels of another recommendation to limit breast cancer screenings with mammograms. There are many questions unanswered for me, but one which immediately comes to mind is whether costs have anything to do with these recommendations. The current health care debate elicits great concern because of its introduction of socialized medicine in America and the inevitable rationed care. We need to carefully watch this debate as it coincides with Capitol Hill’s debate and determine whether we are witnessing the early stages of that rationed care before the Senate bill is rushed through as well.

Another question is why these women-focused cancers are seemingly receiving substandard attention at a time when proactive health and fitness should be the message. Every woman should encourage rigorous debate to ensure that our collective voices are heard. We are paying attention to Washington’s health care proposals, and we want to hear what helps patients the most.

We need answers: Is early screening not saving lives? Why do doctors’ groups disagree? Did costs play any role in these decisions to change the recommendations on breast and cervical cancer screenings? We need assurances that everything we’ve heard this week about fewer tests for women’s cancers is a result of patient-focused research and providing the best care for the right reasons, and not because of bureaucratic pressure to control costs.

Obviously the first thought that comes to mind when hearing of these new recommendations from bureaucratic panels is “rationed care.” It’s fair – and healthy – to ask if that’s what Washington has in mind with a government-controlled takeover of a health care system.

The first three stops on the Going Rogue book tour have been exhilarating!

I am humbled by the outpouring of support and have so enjoyed meeting and hearing from such great Americans in Michigan and Indiana. Our next three stops will keep us in the Heartland, and we hope that you can make it to one of our events in Cincinnati or Columbus, Ohio; or Washington, Pennsylvania.

Enjoy the pictures and go rogue with us!

- Sarah Palin

Gov. Sarah Palin greets a crowd of people outside of a suburban Grand Rapids, MI, shopping mall, Wednesday, November 18, 2009, prior to kicking off the first stop of the "Going Rogue" book tour. Photo by Shealah Craighead. Copyright SarahPAC.

Gov. Sarah Palin talks with a soldier who waited in line to have his book signed at a Barnes & Noble bookstore in Grand Rapids, MI, Wednesday, November 18, 2009. This is the first stop on Palin's "Going Rogue" book tour. Photo by Shealah Craighead. Copyright SarahPAC.

Gov. Sarah Palin shakes hands with a family who waited in line to have their books signed at a Barnes & Noble bookstore in Grand Rapids, MI, Wednesday, November 18, 2009. This is the first stop on Palin's "Going Rogue" book tour. Photo by Shealah Craighead. Copyright SarahPAC.

Gov. Sarah Palin signs a book and talks with a woman who waited in line to have her book signed at a Barnes & Noble bookstore in Grand Rapids, MI, Wednesday, November 18, 2009. This is the first stop on Palin's "Going Rogue" book tour. Photo by Shealah Craighead. Copyright SarahPAC.

Gov. Sarah Palin talks with a woman who's looks resemble that of Gov. Sarah Palin at Borders bookstore during the third "Going Rogue" book signing event Thursday, November 19, 2009, in Noblesville, IN. Photo by Shealah Craighead. Copyright SarahPAC.

Gov. Sarah Palin shakes hands with a young woman who waited in line to have her "Going Rogue" book signed at Borders bookstore Thursday, November 19, 2009, in Noblesville, IN. Photo by Shealah Craighead. Copyright SarahPAC.

A bird's eye view of Gov. Sarah Palin talking with Americans and signing her book "Going Rogue" at Borders bookstore during the third "Going Rogue" book signing event Thursday, November 19, 2009, in Noblesville, IN. Photo by Shealah Craighead. Copyright SarahPAC.

Gov. Sarah Palin talks with a family who waited in line to have their "Going Rogue" book signed at Borders bookstore Thursday, November 19, 2009, in Noblesville, IN. Photo by Shealah Craighea

Greta Wraps Up the Hannity Interview(Foxnews Nov 18 2009):Greta shows highlights of the interview, reports on the crowds in Grand Rapid, MI. Also talks to Anita McBride regarding sexism for women politicians in general and Governor Palin in particular.

O'Reilly and Tanya Reiman on Gov Palin's Interview (Foxnews Nov 18 2009):Body Language expert Tanya Reiman looks at the governors reactions during the O'Reilly Interview.O'Reilly:Do you believe that you are capable could do the job of President of the United States: Gov. Palin:I believe that I am, but that's not to say that Im putting myself out there to campaign or anything else for such a thing. O'Reilly:No, thats not to say that, but do you believe that you are smart enough, incisive enough, intellectual enough to handle the most powerful job in the world, do you believe that? Gov. Palin: I believe that I am, because I have common sense and I have. I believe, the values that are reflective of so many other Americans.

Obama: I Wish Governor Palin Well(Foxnews Nov 18 2009):Though the president won't read Governor Palin's book, he says he wishes her well, says it look like she'll be doing very well without her "readership". Well, Mr. President, maybe you should read it. Something tells me he will at some point

I'm looking forward to seeing everyone in every stop on the tour, but I'm especially looking forward to meeting our brave men and women in uniform at Fort Hood. I'm joining the efforts of many others by donating my royalties from the book sales during our stop at Fort Hood to the families of the victims whose lives have been forever changed by the tragic events of November 5th. I am humbled to be able to join the larger effort called "Community Response to 11/5," which was established by the Central Texas-Fort Hood Chapter of the Association of the US Army (AUSA). You can read more about their great efforts here: http://www.forthoodausa.org/.

As I mentioned last week, I'm going back on Twitter, so you can follow our path on SarahPalinUSA. Below are dates, times, and locations of the venues that I'll be referencing. Some other stops are still to be determined. Please contact each venue for more information. I'll see you soon!

- Sarah Palin

PS: Included below is a new flyer with the complete list of cities for the tour. Feel free to pass this one around, too!

Bill O'Reilly, Monica Crowley and Alan Colmes On "The Palin Fear Factor"Alan hasn't read the book, has no clue what's inside, yet thinks he's qualified to review it. You almost feel sorry for him, trying to push the talking points without really knowing what they are:

O'Reilly previews his interview with Governor Palin. A look behind the scenes:

Hannity talks to Frank Luntz On Governor Palin's Interview's and what is it that attracts people to her:

Hannity, Dana Perino and Stuart Varney On The Media Attacks Against Governor Palin:

I would like to thank everybody who has signed up to follow this Facebook page. We are now over one million strong! Our voices have been heard loud and clear on issues ranging from energy to healthcare. Your support has made this unfiltered communication medium a success.

Had a great conversation today with Barbara Walters regarding America’s special needs community. Her compassion for those who some in our society see as “less than perfect” comes from personal experience as she was so close to her sister. Barbara wrote lovingly about her sister in her #1 bestselling memoir titled, Audition. Barbara and I even attempted to interview Trig during this segment, but he was about as patient through the interview as any other year-and-a-half child! I appreciate Barbara highlighting America’s special needs community. The beautiful heart of our country shines when we embrace these precious ones. Knowing of their unconditional love and need for our embrace reminds me every day of what really matters in this world.

Monday, November 16, 2009

The choice of photo for the cover of this week's Newsweek is unfortunate. When it comes to Sarah Palin, this "news" magazine has relished focusing on the irrelevant rather than the relevant. The Runner's World magazine one-page profile for which this photo was taken was all about health and fitness - a subject to which I am devoted and which is critically important to this nation. The out-of-context Newsweek approach is sexist and oh-so-expected by now. If anyone can learn anything from it: it shows why you shouldn't judge a book by its cover, gender, or color of skin. The media will do anything to draw attention - even if out of context.

Bernie Goldberg on Media Coverage of Ft Hood(Ironically all those in the media Bernie mentions who defended the terrorist are the same people who attack Governor Palin. That's says something doesn’t it?):

O'Reilly: "Going Rogue" Sets The Record StraightTalking with Mary Katharine Ham and Ellis Hanican and debunks their claim that Governor Palin is whining. OReilly actually READ the book:

Dick Morris & Hannity On Governor Palin:

Hannity Panel: Dennis Prager, Bob Beckel, Noelle Nikpour on Governor Palin:Noelle Nikpor: Every time I used to hear the name Sarah Palin I used to cringe, after watching her on Oprah I relly connected with her and got to know her. Palin is refreshing.Dennis Prager: I would exchange Obama with Palin in a heartbeat.

Dana Perino On Gov. Palins Interview With OprahDana Perino: Sarah Palin showed herself to be extremely gracious and you cant underestimate the power of graciousness. She goes after Newsweek for the botched cover. Greta announces shell have the Governor on next week:

This morning on The CBS Early Show, Bob Schieffer graciously offered his conclusion that Sarah Palin does not have a future in politics. Despite the epoch book tour and more interest in her than the entire Republican party, he deemed her merely a momentary "amusement." Fortunately, through the wonders of the internet we were able to track down a few of Mr. Schieffer's other predictions over his 130-year career in journalism and see how they've turned out. By the looks of it, Palin's got quite the future!

Talking about Michael Jordan in June of 1990:

SCHIEFFER: I think Michael Jordan is going to sell a lot of Gatorade and shoes. I think he’ll be a great attraction, you know, as an amusement....But I can’t imagine that he has much future as an NBA champion. I really don’t. He can score a lot of points, but he's just not in the same league as Larry Bird or Isiah Thomas. He's whining now about the Bad Boys who applied those Jordan Rules on him and his own coaches. I don’t think it’s going to work.... It’s kind of like a baseball player blaming the other team or the bat boy or something. After losing in the playoffs for 8 straight years, my guess is Jordan is not ever going to win an NBA championship. I don’t think he'll get that far.”

On Ronald Reagan's future in 1976:

SCHIEFFER: I think Ronald Reagan is going to sell a lot of hair gel and magazine subscriptions. I think he’ll be a great attraction, you know, as an amusement....But I can’t imagine that he has much future in politics. I really don’t. He can give a good speech, but he's just not in the same league as Jimmy Carter or Gerald Ford. He's whining now about the evils of communism and the wimps in his own party. I don’t think it’s going to work.... It’s kind of like a baseball player blaming the other team or the bat boy or something. After losing in the primary to Gerald Ford, my guess is Reagan is not ever going to become president. I don’t think he'll get that far.”

On the rise of the Beatles in 1964:

SCHIEFFER: I think the Beatles are going to sell a lot of albums. I think they’ll be a great attraction, you know, as an amusement....But I can’t imagine that they have much future as recording artists. I really don’t. They can put on a good show, but they're just not in the same league as The Beach Boys and The Everly Brothers. My guess is the Beatles will be a big deal for short time, but I don’t think we'll be talking about them in three years.”

On the invention of the light bulb in 1879:

SCHIEFFER: I think Thomas Edison is going to sell a lot of light bulbs. I think they’ll be a great attraction, you know, as an amusement....But I can’t imagine that incandescent lighting has much of a future as an actual household commodity. I really don’t. Sure these little bulbs light up a room, but they're just not in the same league as oil lamps. I don’t think they'll get us that far.”

On Sunday's This Week with George Stephanopoulos you called Sarah Palin a "joke" and predicted GOP primary voters will not vote for her in 2012 because she's a "talk show host." Gee, I didn't realize she'd signed a contract to host anything. But I guess that means that alas, poor Gov. Mike Huckabee, our current 2012 frontrunner, is also disqualified. Thanks for the information. I hope the good pastor realizes he doesn't have a prayer now, according to you. How come the electorate didn't get the memo in 1980 and '84 that they weren't supposed to vote for a talk show host, you know, that crazy two-term president who hosted General Electric Theater during the 50s and 60s? What a mistake that was, huh?

All things being equal, those of us who adore Sarah Palin are more inclined to see Palin going into radio, you know, the weekly radio address she'll give as President of the United States.

Having already sold out the first printing (1.5 million copies) of her highly anticipated memoir before its release, Palin sure seems destined for greatness. Indeed she will be visiting a few studios as a much sought after guest. (I can't remember another former VP candidate drawing this much attention, can you?) Despite being called "irrelevant" by important people like you, she is embarking on what will (no doubt) turn out to be the best-attended and most widely covered political book tour ever.

The tour comes on the heels of Palin's busy summer and fall where in a Reaganesque manner she jumped into key policy debates with well-referenced and much discussed op-ed essays in the Washington Post, Wall Street Journal , National Review, and Facebook. She raised awareness of the cap-and-tax scheme, and the bureaucratic nightmare of Obamacare, attracting a little bit of blowback in the process. Quite a few people seem interested in what she has to say: her "circulation" of nearly one million "subscribers" on Facebook rivals the total paid circulation of The New York Times and surpasses the viewership of many of the evening cable news shows (except Fox, of course). She even got paid for speaking to international investors. While Obama was apologizing for America to the U.N. in September, Sarah Palin gave a well-received speech in Hong Kong touching on economics, national security, and human rights.

In light of all this, Sarah Palin doesn't seem like a joke -- or a talk show host -- or an actress. She seems like a citizen politician going places and doing important things.

And, if I may say, your condescending and misogynistic attitude toward Sarah Palin typifies what is wrong in this country. Sarah Palin is a credible future candidate because she was the VP candidate for the Republican party last year, for crying out loud. She has just as much right to run for president as any other candidate. She need not seek elite pre-approval to throw her hairpin in the race. She was a popular and effective governor who actually implemented many of the policies advocated by your beloved Bob McDonnell, the guy who has done nothing yet except win an election for governor.

In case you missed it, Sarah Palin won election as governor, too, three years ago. She was the youngest governor ever elected in her state, and the first woman. Why don't we check back with Governor-elect McDonnell in three years to see if his actions matched his campaign rhetoric, huh? I have no doubt they will. But getting elected is sometimes the easy part, would you not agree? Don't leaders actually have to accomplish something or is it just important that they say the right things (and have really nicely creased pants)? Because by most accounts Sarah Palin achieved 95% of her policy initiatives -- in less than three years in Juneau. She has a stellar track record on fiscal policies that McDonnell should emulate not the other way around.

In addition to looking outside your cloistered Beltway reality, Mr. Brooks, you also should not ignore the wisdom of Gwen Ifill, noted liberal "talk show host" and rumoured Obama supporter. On today's program she warned you not to underestimate the power of the women's vote. You would be wise to heed her advice. I am a Republican woman who supported Hillary. There are many Hillary supporters still fomenting over Obama's razor-thin victory (some say defeat) in the Democratic primaries. If Sarah runs the kind of pragmatic reform-minded campaign that she successfuly ran in her governor's race, do you honestly think women won't turn the next election? Since we've already broken the racial barrier, do you not believe women are thinking: it's our turn now? If you dont' see that, well, you're not paying attention.

Moreover, if you don't think GOP primary voters will vote for Sarah, I just don't know how you can call yourself a credible Republican pundit. Palin rallies attracted 20,000 to 60,000 people last year. Heck, she attracted 20,000 to upstate New York seven months after she was supposed to slink back to Alaska in ignomy and defeat. Even the far leftwingers admit that Sarah engages the conservative base! Did you see what Chris Matthews, Mr. Tingle-Up-The-Leg, said about Sarah this week? He said "Watch out Romney. Watch out Pawlenty. Sarah's coming."

Finally, I'm just one person, but there are millions who feel exactly like me. If you'd ever care to visit where some very smart, articulate, witty conservatives hang out, try Conservatives4Palin. We laugh a lot there, especially at people who mock talk shows while appearing on a talk show. Unintended irony? And we don't take kindly to pompous airheads calling our heroine a "joke" ... I think you'll eventually discover, most likely, that the joke's on you.

Sunday, November 15, 2009

O’Reilly Previews His Interview With Governor PalinWhat’s he going to ask her? What’s hot and what not? On Fox & Friends Bill O’Reilly shares what he plans to talk to the Governor about:

Sen Mitch McConnell: "You Betcha" Sarah Palin HAS A Political FutureSenator Mitch McConnell tells Chris Wallace he's not going to give Governor Palin advice, but that with the following Governor Palin has, she has any political future she wants:

Liz Cheney on "Going Rogue"

Cheney: The book is well written, common sense and not all about the campaign. Cheney says Palin is a serious candidate for President in 2012:

The book tour starts this week, and I look forward to it! I'm most looking forward to meeting many of you, shaking your hands, and telling you,"Thanks for loving America." I'll give you a scoop here and tell you what's on the book's Dedication Page – it's dedicated to you – Patriots – who love the U.S.A. as much as I do.

Amazingly, but not surprisingly, the AP somehow nabbed a copy of the book before it was released. They're now erroneously reporting on the book's contents and are repeating many of the same things they spewed during the campaign and afterwards. We've heard 11 writers are engaged in this opposition research, er, "fact checking" research! Imagine that – 11 AP reporters dedicating time and resources to tearing up the book, instead of using the time and resources to "fact check" what's going on with Sheik Mohammed's trial, Pelosi's health care takeover costs, Hassan's associations, etc. Amazing.

We'll keep setting the record straight, and we'll keep reminding some in the media that Americans are very tired of their non-objective reporting. A great, recent post that accomplishes this is a Conservatives4Palin post. It's got some nice fact checking included. As always, they did a great job holding some of the media accountable for spreading more misinformation and for making things up. You can read it here. Enjoy!

And I can't wait to see you! God bless the fight for freedom! Keep up the great work, Patriots who love this country.